London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
87% Complaints upheld by London Borough of Tower Hamlets
87% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
34 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for London Borough of Tower Hamlets's population, this is
10.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
8.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 39 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
96% of cases were successfully implemented by London Borough of Tower Hamlets
96% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 99% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 23 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
6% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by London Borough of Tower Hamlets
In 6% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 12% in similar authorities.
2 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 34 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
View all satisfactory remedy decisions
Annual letters
We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Homeless Tower Hamlets man suffered because of lack of joined-up support from council
Tower Hamlets council left a vulnerable man with significant care needs unsupported when he was made homeless, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Mother fleeing domestic abuse placed in unsuitable mixed-sex accommodation by Tower Hamlets council
A mother fleeing domestic abuse with her children had to live in accommodation, provided by Tower Hamlets council, that was so unsuitable her eldest child, who is disabled, regularly soiled themselves because they were scared of using the shared bathroom, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has heard.
Tower Hamlets to review housing register applications following Ombudsman investigation
London Borough of Tower Hamlets has agreed to review the way it allocates properties after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman uncovered it had a long backlog in processing applications to join its housing register.
Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help family facing homelessness in the borough
London borough of Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family who were about to be evicted by their landlord, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found.
Autistic boy denied parking bay by Tower Hamlets
A young boy with autism, and his family, were denied a parking bay outside their house by London Borough of Tower Hamlets, despite him receiving the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance for his mobility, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Pregnant homeless woman left to sleep on hard floor by LB Tower Hamlets
A pregnant woman, who approached Tower Hamlets council for help when she was made homeless, was left in an unfurnished flat, miles from her support network, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
A family and friends foster carer who took on three vulnerable children after their mother was unable to care for them, failed to get council support for the arrangement for six years.
Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements
Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.
Case reference: 24 003 027
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- Within three months of the decision, the Council will review the causes of the delays identified and produce a plan to avoid a recurrence.
Case reference: 24 000 559
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will remind social workers and their managers of the Council’s duties for people who are placed in the community settings and who lack mental capacity to make decisions about their care arrangements.
Case reference: 23 021 071
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council has agreed to review its procedures for withdrawing a personal budget and ensure that clear notification is given to a service user when the Council intends to withdraw a personal budget with full substantiated reasons and a right of review or appeal.
Case reference: 23 019 868
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant staff on the expectations of Chapter 21of the Homelessness Code of Guidance relating to gathering evidence and making inquiries about domestic abuse.
- The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that the Homelessness Code of Guidance explicitly directs that the council should not approach alleged perpetrators of domestic abuse.
- The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that if they are departing from the Code of Guidance, they should record detailed reasons for doing so in a particular case.
Case reference: 23 019 552
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Allocations
- The Council will apologise to the 46 housing register applicants whose reviews of its priority decision were delayed between January and July 2024. The apologies should meet the standards set out in the Ombudsman's guidance on remedies.
- The Council will backdate the priority banding of the three housing register applicants whose reviews of the it's priority banding decision was delayed between January and July 2024 and ultimately upheld.
- The Council will review the template letter it uses for medical priority decisions and review outcomes. The review letter should ensure that where staff are refusing an application, they are prompted to explain, in enough detail, how they considered medical information and why the information was either discounted or insufficient to demonstrate a need for medical priority. The Council may want to consider the Ombudsman's recent focus report 'Medical assessments for housing applicants' as part of the review.
- The Council will remind housing staff that when a housing applicant says their health is being affected by disrepair in their property, they should share the details of its Environmental Services team, who can carry out hazard inspections.
- The Council will send the Ombudsman an action plan setting out how it will reduce the wait time for housing register priority banding reviews. The plan should set out the steps the Council will take, who will complete them and by when.
Case reference: 23 018 987
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Transport
- The Council will remind staff in its parking and mobility services about the importance of sending all relevant evidence to the Council’s expert assessors for blue badge applications.
Case reference: 23 017 744
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Disabled children
- The Council agreed to complete a review of the standard letters used by council officers when reviewing blue badge appeals and amend the standard wording to ensure that they are all clear, accurate and complete.
Case reference: 23 015 732
Category: Other Categories
Sub Category: Leisure and culture
- The Council will remind staff members working in its youth clubs to ensure notes are kept of meetings with parents, particularly where follow-up actions are agreed.
- The Council will remind officers dealing with complaints of the need to ensure the timescales set out in the Council’s complaints procedure are adhered to and that complainants are kept up to date when any delays occur.
- The Council will introduce a formal behavioural policy or review the existing risk assessment to include behavioural issues, how they will be managed, the options available and the means of challenging any decisions to exclude children for a period of time. When that is introduced the Council should carry out a training session for those working with young people in its youth centres.
- The Council will introduce a process to ensure the needs of children with special educational needs who access the Council’s youth services are recorded and to ensure a record is made of any reasonable adjustments required.
Case reference: 23 015 396
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that refuge accommodation is not reasonable to continueto occupy beyond the short term and that therefore people living in refuges arehomeless for the purposes of part 7 of the Housing Act 1996.
- The Council has agreed to ensure any changes in allocated housing officer are communicated to theapplicant promptly, including contact details for the new officer.
Case reference: 23 013 246
Category: Environment and regulation
Sub Category: Refuse and recycling
- The Council will share the final decision with staff dealing with bin requests to highlight the need to properly communicate with service users and keep them informed of reasons for any delays.
Last updated: 4 April 2015